A MUST READ for anyone who wants be informed about Iraq

What Kind of Liberation? Women and the Occupation of Iraq by Nadje Al-Ali and Nicola Pratt

            This book is the most incredible piece of writing I have ever encountered concerning the Iraq War.  It was comprehensive but concise, informative but easy to read, and clear while presenting a perspective that few Americans ever consider – the history of feminism and women’s (continuing!) activism in Iraq.  This book chronicles the rise and fall of women’s rights and movements in a country that the American media has portrayed as unflinchingly misogynistic and archaic.  Al-Ali and Pratt cut through this fabrication with a precision that takes the breath away. 

            They present a holistic and nuanced version of women’s active participation in Iraqi society, both politically and socially.  They manage to speak about the horrific reality of living conditions in Iraq without sensationalizing it, and to clearly and solidly refute the rhetoric of the Bush administration which claimed that Iraqi women were in need of the kind of liberation it could provide.

            I found this piece extremely meaningful because it contains the data to prove all of the half-baked theories I’ve gleaned from headlines and things other more well-informed people have told me.  And the writing style is so perfect for the content: simple enough that you don’t get lost in the academia and so compelling that you can’t put it down.  Such a piece of literature is exactly what I needed to really get a grasp of the reality of the situation in Iraq.  I often find myself shying away from learning about that war, either because it’s so gory and sensationalized that I feel sick, or so dry that I can’t get through it.  But this book is so obviously written from a place of caring for the women of Iraq, a caring that includes a desire to tell their story correctly, and to work towards a more tenable future for them, it makes it easier for me to care about the war in a way that is productive.

            In essence, this book contains all the facts one might ever need in order to prove that, at least for women, the invasion of Iraq has not brought any kind of liberation.

Al-Ali, N., & Pratt, N. (2009). What Kind of Liberation? Women and the Occupation of Iraq. Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press.